A provider of digital media content may allow a consumer to purchase the right to use the media content in a particular authorized manner, and may employ a content-protection scheme to prevent the consumer from using the content in an unauthorized manner.
Examples of media content include content digitally represented by a media file contains video data, audio data, text data, or any combination thereof, and that may be accessed or distributed as a single digital file, a group of digital files, or as a data stream, i.e., via streaming.
Examples of an authorized manner in which a consumer may use a media file include immediate audio or video playback (e.g., streaming) and copying and storing the file (e.g., on a computer disk, MP3 player, or other storage device) for future playback.
An example of a content-protection scheme includes providing the media file in a proprietary format that can be rendered only by special playback software, for example software supplied by the provider. Examples of such file formats and corresponding playback software include Apple's® Apple Lossless®format, which only Apple's® iTunes® software can render, and RealNetworks'® RealAudio® format, which only RealNetworks'® RealPlayer® can render. The types of protection provided by this scheme may include ensuring that the content provider has paid a fee to encode files in the proprietary format, that the consumer has paid a fee for the rendering software or rendering device, or that both the provider and consumer have respectively paid these fees.
Another example of a content-protection scheme is a digital-rights-management (DRM) system, which includes a license for an authorized use of the media file, and DRM software that compares the consumer's attempted use of the media file with the use authorized by the license. If the consumer's attempted use of the media file is not authorized, then the DRM software prevents the attempted use. The DRM system is typically incorporated within the consumer's playback device.
Protection schemes such as those discussed above are designed to ensure that the content provider is compensated for all of a consumer's uses of a media file by preventing uses for which the consumer has not paid.
Unfortunately, the proprietary nature of many of today's protection schemes may limit the applications in which they may be used, and may limit content choices for consumers. For example, Apple's® iTunes® software cannot render media files that are in another proprietary format, such as RealNetworks'® RealAudio® format, and iTunes®-compatible content libraries may not have the same content available that RealAudio®-compatible content libraries have available. Therefore, if a specific media content item, such as a music recording, is unavailable as an iTunes®-compatible media file, an iTunes® user may be unable to purchase the music recording for use with iTunes®. Furthermore, certain DRM systems may need to communicate with the content provider or other external authority to confirm or update the consumer's license with respect to a media file, and may do so using encryption and/or other validation techniques. If a communication path between the content renderer and the external authority is unavailable, then a consumer may be unable to use the media file until a communication path becomes available. And even if a communication path is available, the time required to execute the decryption and/or validation may cause a noticeable delay to the consumer when he or she attempts to use the media file.